Tender is the Night
by Supernatural-flavored-lollipop
Summary: Imagine waking from a nightmare and finding Castiel watching over you as you sleep... (Request)


You could see them both, and their deaths were awful. The demons were too many- the brothers died fighting, and fighting hard, but eventually they both went down. Eviscerated. They got Sam first- a long knife through the heart. He had been going to his brother's rescue. You couldn't help thinking how appropriate that was- it was always going to end with the Winchesters trying to rescue each other. With a sideways look at his little brother, Dean had thrown himself at the throng of monsters, and been laced with so many knives, his body was unrecognizable when they dispersed.

You woke up, sitting bolt upright in bed. You were drenched in a cold sweat. This same thing had plagued you the last few nights, ever since you had watched your cousins both die. It had taken you two nights to even be able to fall asleep- and since then, the same dream had plagued you, over and over. The downfall of the legendary Winchester brothers.

You and Castiel had shown up just in time to watch the bloody massacre. Once they were dead, instead of the demons turning their wrath on you, they had instead left, deciding that their job was done. You and Cas had taken the bodies back to the Impala, but when you'd returned to the bunker, the bodies had disappeared from the backseat. Confused, you'd sat in the library, drinking and thinking about what to do. You needed their bodies for a proper Hunter's Funeral. You couldn't let any demon get their hands on them. You'd been brainstorming about what the hell could have happened, when the front door of the bunker had banged open, _and Sam and Dean had walked in like nothing had happened. _

Castiel had apparently picked something up on Angel Radio just then, because before you could get up and throw holy water in your cousin's faces, he stopped you. "Heaven resurrected them." He told you, spinning you around and looking deep into your eyes. "But they don't know. And they can't know."

"What do you mean they can't know?"

"Dean and Sam have died many times."

"Yeah. Everyone knows that."

"No, Y/N. They've died dozens of times, many of which they don't know about themselves. Heaven has a plan for them, and chose not to let them know. It is imperative we not tell them."

Before you could ask any more, Dean and Sam had walked into the room, and Dean was really pissed because he thought you'd stolen his car.

You knew you weren't going to get much sleep tonight. Just like the rest of this last week. You'd been doing your best to keep it from them, but every time you saw either of the Winchesters, all you could see in your mind was them dying. You'd known your cousins only a short time, a few months- you were a hunter, related on their mother's side. You'd met on a hunt a few months back, and they'd latched onto you, being family and all. You'd gotten attached- they were like brothers now. They were really all you had. The Campbell's had some bad luck in recent years, and you were the last of them, as far as you knew.

Running your hands through your hair, you reached over to your bedside lamp and flicked it on. You realized you weren't alone in your room. Your eyes slid to the chair in the corner of your small room, near your desk. Castiel was sitting there, back straight as an arrow, watching you. You eyed him strangely, but weren't too perturbed- you'd become accustomed to his strange ways. You'd actually grown _really_ fond of him. His fading grace was worrying you, and the more human he became, the more heartbroken _you_ became. You knew he wouldn't last forever.

"Hey, Cas. What're you doing?" You asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at you, very seriously. "I was watching you sleep." He seemed displeased. "There was a time when I could have made your dreams better... I'm afraid I'm useless now." His eyes dropped from your face to the thin nightshirt that you wore, but quickly came back up. You thought you could see the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face in the dim light.

"It's okay, Cas. I'll be okay." You sighed. "How long have you been watching me?"

"For a few hours." He replied. "And for the last few nights."

"Cas!"

"What?" He asked. "You shouldn't be alone right now. You're obviously disturbed. Only... I can think of nothing else to do to help you."

"Cas, your grace isn't going to last forever. _You _need sleep too. Have you been sleeping?" You asked him. You weren't even going to get into why it was strange for a grown man to sit and watch you sleep- he was an angel, and it was kind of charming in that capacity. You weren't bothered by it like you would be if it were just a normal guy, because you knew it was the result of genuine compassion.

"I... have not." He sighed. "I've been more concerned with you're well being, Y/N. And, to be honest, I'm not sure how well I'd sleep if I tried."

You looked at him for a long time. You knew he wasn't human. You weren't even sure if he had human feelings. But you'd had a kind of longing for him since the day you'd met. You'd never seen him in all of his angel glory- you'd only heard stories. Sure, he was still strong and powerful, but the angel you saw was broken and putting up a facade. And still, you found him irresistible.

You scooted over on your bed, and patted the spot beside you. He looked at you, confused. "Come lay down, Cas. You need sleep. We both do. I won't bite." You rolled your eyes.

"Why would I be afraid you'd bite me?" He asked you, looking at you strangely.

"It's a figure of speech. It means don't be afraid. Come on." You motioned at him again.

He got up stiffly, approached the bed, drew back the covers, and climbed in. You turned to him, an incredulous look on your face. "Really?" You asked him dryly.

"Really what?"

"You're going to sleep in your shoes and your coat?" You continued to give him an odd look. "Jesus, Cas, relax. And take off your damned shoes in my bed."

He got back up, removed the coat, and the shoes, and got back under the covers. He reached out and switched off the light. After a few minutes, his voice rang out in the dark. "I'm sensing you aren't asleep."

"No."

"I'm also sensing something else, but... this is an uncommon thing for me to talk about."

"Go on."

"I'm sensing that you might require some comforting." He paused. "And I'm not wanting to overstep any boundaries, but-"

"Cas, I think you might need some comforting yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You watched your two best friends die." You said.

"I did. And I think I may need some comforting, too, but I'm uncertain, because it is a very human thing. But this comforting... I don't want you to think I'm here simply out of duty. I'm here, Y/N, because I want to be."

You nodded in the dark. "Okay." You replied lamely. You'd never really stopped to think what you'd actually _do _with an angel in your bed. Apparently, you'd clam up like a virginal schoolgirl.

Castiel was a little more forward than you thought he'd be. He reached over and put a tentative arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him. You lay your head against his chest. You could feel his heart beating, just like a regular man. You noticed his heartbeat begin to pick up pace. You shyly rested your hand on his chest. His heart rate picked up even more. _This was interesting. _

"Cas, I'm glad you're here." You breathed into his shoulder. You looked up at him, just making out his face in the dark. "I really don't want to be alone tonight." Then he did something that surprised you. He moved towards you and pressed his lips against you, more urgently than you'd have thought. You'd pegged Castiel as a delicate lover, if a lover at all. This kiss was passionate, born of a need that had been welling up in both of you for far too long. You rolled slightly backwards, pulling him on top of you. He instinctively ran his hand up the length of your side, up your flimsy cotton nightshirt. Then he hesitated, pulling his hand away.

You grabbed his hand and put it back. He stopped kissing you. "Are you sure?" He asked. You nodded.  
"I don't have a lot of experience, Y/N. You may find me lacking."

"I doubt that, Cas. I _seriously_ doubt that."

"The last woman I was with... the only woman I've been with... she tortured me and tried to kill me afterwards."

You paused, not really sure how to reply. You'd of course heard the "Cas lost his virginity to a Reaper" story. Dean _loved _to tell that story. "Cas, I promise I won't torture you or kill you." You looked directly into his eyes. "Are _you_ sure?"

He smiled shyly and knowingly, and went back in for another kiss. Your nightshirt was off within seconds, and you fiddled with the buttons on his shirt until you got irritated with them, grabbed the collar by both ends, and ripped all the buttons off, pulling his shirt down his muscular arms and off of him, followed by his undershirt. Soon you were both naked under your sheet and thin blanket. His hands moved over you smoothly, and even though he swore he didn't have much experience, he moved over you like an expert. He gently caressed your skin, kissing his way all over it like you were a treasure map. By the time he was done exploring every inch of you, he was hard and you could tell he was ready to go, but was patiently waiting for you to instigate the next step.

You rolled easily on top of him, retrieved a condom from your nightstand drawer, and lowered yourself onto his length. You heard him draw in a sharp breath, and his hands came up and settled on your hips, kneading small circles into your flesh. You began to move slowly, up and down, enjoying the soft moans that escaped his lips. You'd made love to men before, plenty of them, but there was something extremely different about making love to an angel, even one in a man's body. Everything was more intense.

Castiel moved underneath you, rising to meet you with every motion, and then rolled you onto your back. "I would like to be able to kiss you, while we do this." He explained. You smiled, trying not to giggle at his clinical explanation. That was just the way he spoke, and you loved him for it.

True to his word, he leaned down to kiss you, and his gentle thrusts turned into desperate, intense ones. It wasn't long before you climaxed, and he followed soon after, collapsing on top of you. In the early morning hours, you lay together in your bed, damp with sweat, breathing heavily.

"That was good." He finally said, catching his breath. He sounded tired, and slightly drugged. He had pulled you close to his side, his arm wrapped securely around you as though he were afraid you were going to run off somewhere all of a sudden.

"Yes, it was." You snaked an arm around his waist. "You were excellent."

"I was?" He asked, sounding genuinely shocked. You nodded into his side. He pondered that for a while.

"Why'd you wait so long, Cas?" You asked him finally, yawning. You were beginning to get tired again.

"The time never seemed appropriate." He answered, also sounding tired. "I'm also not entirely sure what your cousins will do if they knew you and I copulated."

"It's called sex, Cas. We call it sex."

"Dully noted." Cas was silent for a long time, his breathing slow and even, his fingers tracing a line up and down your arm. His presence was helping to calm you. The events of the last week seemed far away now, and you weren't as afraid to go to sleep with his body fit so snugly next to yours. He finally drew in a breath and spoke. "Y/N?"

"Yes, Cas?" You smiled dreamily up at him. You had some serious post-sex euphoria going on.

"Could we do it again?"


End file.
